TIRES AND WHEELS
CONTENTS
page page
TIRES.................................. 1WHEELS................................ 9
TIRES
INDEX
page page
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
RADIAL-PLY TIRES....................... 2
REPLACEMENT TIRES.................... 3
SPARE TIRE (TEMPORARY)................ 2
TIRE INFLATION PRESSURES.............. 2
TIRE INFORMATION...................... 1
TIRE PRESSURE FOR HIGH-SPEED DRIVING . . 3
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING
LEAD CORRECTION CHART................ 4
PRESSURE GAUGES..................... 3
TIRE NOISE OR VIBRATION................ 4TIRE WEAR PATTERNS.................... 4
TREAD WEAR INDICATORS................ 3
SERVICE PROCEDURES
REPAIRING TIRE LEAKS................... 6
TIRE AND WHEEL MATCH MOUNTING........ 6
TIRE AND WHEEL ROTATION (NON-
DIRECTIONAL THREAD PATTERN).......... 6
CLEANING AND INSPECTION
CLEANING TIRES........................ 7
SPECIFICATIONS
TIRE SPECIFICATIONS.................... 8
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
TIRE INFORMATION
Tires are designed and engineered for each specific
vehicle. They provide the best overall performance
for normal operation. The ride and handling charac-
teristics match the vehicle's requirements. With
proper care they will give excellent reliability, trac-
tion, skid resistance, and tread life.
Driving habits have more effect on tire life than
any other factor. Careful drivers will obtain, in most
cases, much greater mileage than severe use or care-
less drivers. A few of the driving habits which will
shorten the life of any tire are:
²Rapid acceleration
²Severe application of brakes
²High-speed driving
²Taking turns at excessive speeds
²Striking curbs and other obstacles
Radial ply tires are more prone to irregular tread
wear. It is important to follow the tire rotation inter-
val shown in the section on Tire Rotation. This will
help to achieve a greater tread-life potential.
TIRE IDENTIFICATION
Tire type, size, aspect ratio and speed rating are
encoded in the letters and numbers imprinted on the
side wall of the tire. Refer to the chart to decipher
the tire identification code (Fig. 1).
Performance tires will have a speed rating letter
after the aspect ratio number. The speed rating is not
always printed on the tire sidewall. The letterSindi-
cates that the tire is speed rated up to 112 mph.
²Qup to 100 mph
²Tup to 118 mph
²Uup to 124 mph
²Hup to 130 mph
²Vup to 149 mph
²Zmore than 149 mph (consult the tire manu-
facturer for the specific speed rating)
An All Season type tire will have eitherM+S,M
&SorM±S(indicating mud and snow traction)
imprinted on the side wall.
TIRE CHAINS
This vehicle was designed to allow the use of a
specified type of snow chain on the tires. Only com-
pact snow chains or other traction aidsmeeting SAE
type ªClass Sº specifications may be used.Any style
NSTIRES AND WHEELS 22 - 1
